Perhaps even more importantly, some countries which previously didn't have access to mapping data would be getting the feature in a timed rollout. All in all, 24 countries were being added to the list including Italy and the UK.

We can at least verify that those latter two now have traffic as an option on their devices. Users can simply launch Maps and tap the three-dots on the lower menu. There, the "enable traffic" option should now be available.

It's great to see such a feature comes to other regions as it's something many of us have taken for granted since Windows Phone 7 came out in 2010. If you've noticed traffic added to any of these other countries, sound off in comments: Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland or UAE.

E-Plus releases Windows Phone Tango update for Lumia 800

E-Plus in Germany is currently preparing to release the Windows Phone Tango update to consumers, according to reports. Much like Australia's Telstra, the update is set to hit Lumia 800 owners. "Tango" introduces a number of new features and improvements to the experience, including added MMS functionality and WiFi tethering (depending on carrier restrictions and firmware versions).

Be sure to keep an eye out for any update notifications and let us know when you receive the release.

Windows Phone Tango update in testing at Telstra

The Windows Phone Tango update is currently in testing by Australian carrier Telstra. What is being referred to as the Mango Commercial Refresh 3 update is being tested for release to the Nokia Lumia 800, HTC Mozart and HD7, Samsung Omnia W and LG c900k.

Speculation has the Tango MCR3 update being pushed out sometime in July. The update will bring these older Windows Phones current with the HTC Titan, Nokia Lumia 900 and 610 which are shipped with the updated version of Windows Phone.

We've mentioned the Dark Knight Rises covers for the Nokia Lumia 710 Windows Phone before. T-Mobile is currently giving the covers away with new purchases of the Lumia 710. Well, we've gotten our grubby little hands on three of them to give away.

The covers are stamped with the Dark Knight Rises movie logo and we thought it might be fitting to somehow tie the Dark Knight into this giveaway. So... keeping it simple... in the comments let us know who is your favorite Batman. Was it Adam West, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Michael Keaton, Christian Bale or is the comic book version the best?

Chime in through the day (say until 5pm PST) and tonight we'll randomly pick three winners, each to receive a Nokia Lumia 710 Dark Knight Rises cover. You do need to register so we can get in touch with you (registration is done here) and remember these cases are for the 710. Feel free to chime in but if you don't have the 710, let us know as you comment to avoid winning a case that doesn't fit your Windows Phone.

Windows Phone Game Review: Pairanoia

Pairanoia is a Windows Phone puzzle game from Beautiful Mind Games, the developers of Triangula, Quadrata and other puzzle games for your Windows Phone. Pairanoia is a game that calls upon you to match up tiles with assorted colors and shapes. As you create the matches you earn points in an effort to out score you opponent.

Pairanoia does take a few games to get the hang of things but once you do, it's an entertaining way to pass the time.

TVShow and PrimeTV temporarily down but should return soon

We received a few reports from users that the excellent reminder + scheduling apps TVShow and PrimeTV are both "broken" right now. Specifically, when users try to update the app to pull down their customized TV schedules, they are met with an error message that they cannot connect to the servers.

Microsoft Store opening soon in Westchester, NY

Microsoft is set to open a new store at Westchester in New York, and according to the construction manager on-site it's set to open "very soon" indeed. We've previously looked at an unofficial list of Microsoft Stores that are to be revealed in the states and the software giant has also recently opened a store in Freehold, NY.

New York Metro has a job listing for a Retail Store Teacher position at the Westchester store, should you be interested in such a career with the software giant. More information will be published when the store is open and ready for business, so stay tuned and take a look at the above photo of the retail store under construction.

Last day to catch Twabbit for $.99

Twabbit for Windows Phone is a Twitter client that is nicely laid out, has plenty of features and overall is a really nice Windows Phone app.

Twabbit's main pages cover your Twitter home page with all your tweets, interactions with other tweets and your direct message inbox. Other key features include:

Persistently present tweet button that enables you to compose tweets from anywhere in the app

Quick reply bar, Support for multiple Twitter accounts

Ability to mute users, hastags and apps

Support for Twitter, TwitPic and yFrog photo upload services

Live Tile Support

Tweets load fast and there are a ton of settings to let you customize Twabbit to suit your needs and tastes. There's even gesture settings for customizable single and multi-touches.

There is a free trail available for Twabbit and the full version is currently running $.99. Today's the last day to pick Twabbit up for $.99 and then the price jumps to $1.49. If you're looking for a nice Twitter client for your Windows Phone, Twabbit is worth checking out.

WPCentral Poll: What's in a name - Windows 8 Phone instead?

Ever since Microsoft unveiled "Windows Phone 7 Series" back in February 2010 (and then changed it), much debate has taken place on what it should be called. Many people had made convincing arguments at the time that Microsoft should drop "Windows" all together and opt instead for an Xbox alignment.

In hindsight, such arguments now seem silly to us as Windows Phone 7 was hardly a killer gaming platform, nor does that send the right message to business/enterprise. Likewise, the phrase "Windows" has made quite the comeback with "8", as early reviews would suggest.

However, reader 'umovies' sent in this idea which piqued our interest because it actually makes sense:

"[Microsoft should] change Windows Phone 8 to Windows 8 Phone. They're going to have more products out so its kinda crazy saying Windows Phone 8 when you got Windows 8 OS, Windows 8 Surface's, you should have a Windows 8 Phone as well and it will get rid of the confusion over Windows Mobile."

Indeed, now that the core of Windows Phone 8 has been shown to be the core of Windows 8 desktop (which will also be used in the next generation of Xbox), it does seem obvious to call it Windows 8 Phone instead. Technically speaking, it's just more accurate. (Heck, our site wouldn't even need a name change as it is still "Windows Phone" but the specific version is just "8".)

Plus as our writer Seth Brodeur notes, you can finally say "I have a Windows 8 Phone" instead of a " I have a Windows Phone 8 phone" which is redundant (notice we usually say "Windows Phone 8 device" to avoid this. but it also sounds...odd).

What do you think? Hit the poll, people, and share it with others. Then we'll see about sending it to Microsoft.

As we reported last night, Microsoft was set to open their latest Store in the quaint state of Connecticut who famously just allowed alcohol to be sold on Sunday's just a couple of weeks ago (no joke).

Reader Nicholas R. was there and sent us this report and collection of photos from the event. Overall, we're quite impressed with the sound of things and look forward to that Huntington Station opening here in New York. Check out his telling of the event and pics(taken with a Lumia 900, of course) below!

"So I stopped by a couple hours after the store opening this morning. There were a lot of people there, but it sounds like there were even more when the store actually opened. Some people even camped out overnight in front of the mall. Apparently Microsoft was giving out Xboxes, laptops, and tablets to some of the lucky first people. By the time I got there, they only had zip-up blankets, t-shirts, and concert wristbands left.

In terms of store layout, it's actually pretty nice. Although people accuse MS of stealing Apple's idea of wooden tables and chairs, the overall store doesn't feel like an Apple store. It definitely has a different feel; I guess I would call it futuristic. They have the displays with computers, Xboxes, Windows Phone, etc. They also have some Kinects scattered around for people to play with. In the middle of the store is the Answer Desk. A big glass wall is behind the Answer Desk and separates the front of the store for the back. The back is fairly spacious and has a big TV with a Kinect attached to it. Today, they were passing out the tickets for the concert in the back. But I think they might hold other events there in the future. On the wall surrounding the store is a long screen that changes animations.

Their demos actually extended out into the mall space today. They had some more TVs setup with Kinects out in the mall. These were linked together so people could play against each other right there. They also had a DJ stand and some speakers setup, but it was unattended when I got there (I assume that was for the opening). Out in the parking lot, they do have a big stage setup for the concert later in the evening."

Xbox Live - Monster Island expands to France and other nations

Monster Island is an Xbox Live title with a tumultuous history. First it launched in the US-only rather than worldwide and with Achievements that broke the Live rules by requiring players to spend money off the bat, and then it got pulled. The game eventually came back with fixed Achievements, and shortly thereafter became available in the United Kingdom too. When would other nations get to visit Monster Island (which is actually a peninsula), we wondered?

Today’s the day, it seems! Monster Island is now available in the frost-bitten climes of France. The region is known for its year-round snows and deadly walrus attacks. It’s also one of the last nations on Earth to still use Latin as its official language. Also, Rayman comes from there (really). Okay, so I don’t know anything about mysterious France, but I do know people from there can finally grab Monster Island and start earning Achievements like the rest of us.

Monster Island costs $2.99 (in the US) and there is a free trial. Get it here on the Marketplace. Now that the game has launched in France, could it be available in others as well? Let us know in the comments below, readers.

It's been a while, but we're back with another installment of our Xbox Live Developer Interview series! This time we talk with Paul Kelly, director of IronSun Studios. The British development house has already brought IonBallEX, Battlewagon, and MonstaFish to Xbox Live. Here we discuss some of their influences, design philosophies, and even their next Live game. Head past the break for the full interview and lots of exclusive concept art!

Now reader Illum1na has done some searching and managed to turn on up in the Dutch Marketplace. Actually, he found four in total:

Black

Magenta

Blue

White

Not too shabby. Once again, these items are locked to the Dutch Marketplace meaning you probably won't have much luck trying to get 'em if you're not in that region. But if you are, you'll want to go to this link and grab 'em. You can actually get all four of them, in case you feel like changing it up a bit.